This invention relates to packaging and more particularly to tubular bags and fitments for such bag tubes together with the method of making and filling such packages.
Bag tubes are flexible packages, which combined many of the advantages of bags and tubes for packaging of liquid and paste products.
The dispensing of product from prior art tubular packages typically is afforded by providing for tearing away a portion of the bag tube, for example, at a corner edge or to provide a dispensing spout which is bonded to a wall of the bag.
It would be desirable to form a dispensing spout which can be mechanically fastened to a wall of the tubular container.
Prior art bag tubes typically are formed with a flexible wall or gusset at one end of the bag which extends between the front and back panels making up the tubular body of the package and forms the bottom of the closed tube which forms a base to support the filled flexible bag in an upright position. In the present invention, a fitment forming a dispensing spout is installed in the end wall which now becomes the top of the finished and filled package.
The fitment itself is provided with a flange which extends for the full thickness of the package and acts to support the flexible end wall during manufacture and also during dispensing of contents of the package by the ultimate consumer.
Aside from the advantages of such packages from the standpoint of marketing, shipping and storage, it is highly desirable that the packages be made and filled in a continuous process starting with a roll of film from which the package is shaped, filled and sealed in a single continuous operation. Such an inline production method eliminates the need for prefabrication of tubes with storage of a supply until ready for use.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bag tube and a method of making and filling it in a continuous process and in which the bag tube is formed with a dispensing spout and screw type closure which makes it possible to open and close the package without the need to empty all the contents.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bag tube having an end provided with a fitment affording a dispensing spout and closure which permits dispensing and resealing of the contents remaining in the package.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fitment for a bag tube which facilitates installation during manufacture and use of the flexible package by the ultimate consumer.
These and other objects of the invention are attained by the present invention in which a pair of opposed panels of flexible plastic laminated material have a pair of opposed sealed edges and a sealed bottom portion to form a flat tube closed at one end. The closed end of the tube extends between the panels and supports a fitment including a dispensing nozzle and a detachable closure which is mechanically fastened to the end wall by means of an anchor member inserted through the open end of the package and threadably engage with the nozzle portion of the fitment. The fitment itself is provided with an elongated flange which extends diametrically of the passage in the spout for the full width of the filled package to engage opposite sides of the package to resist torque during manufacture and to facilitate handling of the package by the consumer during opening and closing of the spout.